Fort Worth - The Town of The Cow
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
When people think of Fort Worth, the first word they think of is "cow." The second is "boy." Businessmen wearing three-piece suits with their cowboy hats and boots are a common sight downtown, but the modern visitor to Fort Worth will see very few cowboys. The city hasn’t forgotten its past, however; constant reminders of Fort Worth’s heritage are everywhere. Carved reliefs of longhorn steer heads with golden stars decorate the bridges and overpasses around downtown. An excellent trompe l’oeil painting of a cattle drive faces Sundance Square.1 Museums of Western art are everywhere, and the Stockyards are just a few blocks from downtown. The residents call it ‘Cowtown’ for a good reason. This town was built on beef! Much of Fort Worth exists because of the efforts of businessmen, mostly ranchers and cattlemen, to promote commerce and the arts.
Fort Worth was originally an actual fort, built by the Army. It was founded in 1849 to protect settlers from Indian attacks. At that time, cowboys were already driving cattle along the Chisolm Trail2. Excellent grazing land lies west of Fort Worth; in the 1800's, the land was covered with grasses up to a horse's belly, and the Trinity River became essential for watering the cattle. Fort Worth quickly grew to become the last major stop on the Chisolm Trail - home to settlers, soldiers, cattle drovers and outlaws. Inevitably, the town acquired a rough-and-rowdy reputation, like most of the Western towns of that time. The Sundance Kid, a famous outlaw of the 1880’s, frequented ‘Hell’s Half Acre’ (now known as the Stockyards) during his violent but brief career.
When the railroad was completed in 1876 it transformed Fort Worth into a major shipping center for livestock. Meat packing companies moved in, and Fort Worth became the second largest livestock market in the country. Chicago, on the other end of the rail line, was the largest. When oil was discovered in West Texas3, Fort Worth became the place to go to find equipment, supplies, and manpower.
As a result of all this industry and cattle-trading, many became very wealthy. Fortunately, most of them were interested in increasing Fort Worth’s assets. Fort Worth would not be the city it is today without these people. Three philanthropists stand out from the crowd: Amon G. Carter, Sr., Sid Richardson, and most recently, the Bass brothers.
Amon G. Carter, Sr.: Civic Leader, Aviator, and Publisher of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
He is known as the man who invented the cowboy - at least the glamorous cowboys of the movie screen and wild west rodeos. Gary Cooper and Will Rogers were frequent visitors at his Shady Oak Farm. Carter was an avid aviator, and was on a first name basis with Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindberg. He brought the first airplane to Fort Worth in 1911, and talked Franklin D. Roosevelt into building an airplane plant in Fort Worth. Then Amon Carter convinced the Army architects to extend the plant by 29 feet, making it the largest aircraft factory in the world. Through his negotiations, Carswell Air Force Base was established in Fort Worth in 1941. By 1945, more aircraft were built in Fort Worth than any other place in the world. Amon Carter is also one of the reasons why a feud exists between Dallas and Fort Worth. Many of the deals that Amon Carter made were behind the backs of Dallas civic leaders. He was a founder of American Airlines, and a major stockholder - it’s said that he stole American Airlines away from Dallas. He died in 1955. But oddly enough, many of the disputes between Dallas and Fort Worth today are over the battles that Amon Carter started.
Sid Richardson: Oil, Cattle and Land Entrepeneur
Sid Richardson was not a flamboyant businessman, like Amon G. Carter, Sr. He made his fortune through oil, cattle and land. Land is one of the most precious possessions in Texas. If the land is oil-bearing, then it can be drilled for oil. If the land is scrub and grass, cattle can be raised on it. And if the land isn’t good for anything, there’s always a shopping mall or a suburb that needs to be built. Richardson made good use of the land he owned. He began to drill exploratory wells in West Texas in 1935. Perry R. Bass, his only nephew, joined him two years later. They extended the drilling into New Mexico and Louisiana. The Sid Richardson Carbon Co. was established eleven years later. The Texas oil industry was by no means a stable one, but Richardson persevered. "I guess my philosophy of business life is: Don't be in too big of a hurry, don't get excited, and don't lose your sense of humor." He died on September 30, 1959 after a full day’s work. Sid Richardson’s greatest legacy is the collection of Western art by Charles Russell and Frederick Remington. A foundation was created to preserve the works and add to the collection. Currently the Sid Richardson Collection of Western Art is undergoing expansion and renovation.
The Bass Brothers: Perry, Lee, Sid, Ed, and Robert Bass
Of all the benefactors of Fort Worth, the Bass Brothers remains the most enigmatic. Inheritors of Sid Richardson’s fortune, they’ve managed to turn it into an even larger group of holdings, including ownership of the La Quinta chain of hotels, and a 15% interest in Disney. They’re responsible for turning downtown Fort Worth into a successful business area, which has continued to expand. One of their first entrepeneurial successes was the Caravan of Dreams, in Sundance Square. The Bass Brothers also played a hand in the revamping of the poorly-designed highway system around downtown. It’s a benevolent despotism; their history reflects a desire to effect change and growth through spending money wisely. Recently they attempted to make a $20 million (US) donation to Yale, but were turned down because of the restrictions placed upon the use of the money.
Fort Worth Attractions
Fort Worth used to be known as “Panther City.” In the 1800’s, a visitor from Dallas once commented that downtown was so quiet, a panther was seen sleeping in the middle of the street. Today it is full of upscale apartments, movie theaters, restaurants, and bars, most of which are centered around Sundance Square.
The Main Street Arts Festival is held every year in Sundance Square. One of the best (and largest) free festivals in the Southwest, it features local and national music acts and excellent arts and crafts. The Museum of Science and History has an interactive area where kids can play and experiment with simple physics.
The Bass Performance Hall, the newest landmark of downtown, is graced by two enormous stone angels with golden horns. This beautiful but expensive world-class facility is home to the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the Cliburn Concert series, the Fort Worth Symphony, the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet, the Fort Worth Opera, and (pause for breath) special productions of Casa Mañana musicals.
Make a point of visiting the Water Gardens; this Philip Johnson designed-park features a spectacular complex of sculpture and fountains meant to represent a mountain and waterfalls, where visitors stand 38 feet below street level and experience 1,000 gallons of water cascading down a 710-foot wall. In times past, the most notable feature of the Water Gardens was the pervading smell of urine, but since the Bass Brothers have made some attempt to make downtown an attractive and profitable enterprise, this is now a nice place to visit again.
Stockyards Historic District
Even though that time has passed, it’s still a good place to go for a steak, a pair of boots, or a beer. Of the numerous steakhouses in the Stockyards, H3 Ranch has the best-tasting steaks; however, their side dishes are disappointing. Cattleman’s and Saltgrass Steakhouse vary in quality from great to pretty good. The Stockyards is also known for its great Tex-Mex meals. La Playa Maya, Esmerelda’s and Los Vaqueros serve excellent, tasty dishes. Some of the wildest Western clothing ever is displayed in the shop windows. Forget taste; you have to admire their nerve.
If you're in the mood for sensory overload, top off the evening with a visit to Billy Bob's Texas, the "world's largest honky-tonk." This is a tourist trap. Unsuspecting victims go in Billy Bob's and come out holding their hands to their ears and staggering slightly. Top national acts perform here - Billy Bob's is capable of handling an enormous crowd. If you’re wanting something a little less extreme, visit the White Elephant Saloon, an authentic Old West saloon, named "One of the Best 100 Bars in America" by Esquire Magazine. Or make a visit to H3 Ranch to try some of their “Buffalo Butt Beer,” while resting your butt on one of the saddles along the bar.
The Cultural District
The third largest art district of its kind in the United States. Recommended for any visitor to Fort Worth.
• The Omni at the Museum of Science and History is a wonderful place to spend a hot afternoon. 5 The Museum is the largest one of its kind in the Southwest.
• Every year in January thousands of people from across the state come to the Southwestern Exhibition and Fat Stock Show at the Will Rogers Memorial Center. Some are there to show off their prize livestock; others are there to watch the bullriders and rodeos. Vendors from across the nation gather to peddle their vacuum cleaners and never-sharpen knives.
• The Amon Carter Museum was established by Amon G. Carter, Sr., so he’d have somewhere to store his collection of works by Frederic Remington and Charles Russell. Since then, the museum has acquired over 300,000 works of art, and is currently undergoing renovation and expansion.
• The Kimbell Art Museum's holdings range in period from antiquity to the 20th century, including masterpieces by Duccio, Fra Angelico, Mantegna, Caravaggio, El Greco, La Tour, Rubens, Velázquez, Rembrandt, Houdon, Goya, David, Monet, Cézanne, Picasso, Matisse, and Mondrian. The Kimbell's architect attempted to use natural light whenever possible to view the art, and as a result, this museum has a very light, open feel. There's been talk of expansion, but the museum cannot be added on without destroying the architectural integrity.
• Take a stroll in the Botanic Gardens. This lush, well-maintained garden is a good place for picnics in the spring and fall, and every year, from June to July, Concerts in the Garden are held - featuring regional and national acts, with a fireworks finale every Saturday night.
The Twister of Fort Worth
In March of 2000, a tornado struck downtown Fort Worth. While only two people were killed, there was several million dollars worth of damage. None of the buildings were completely destroyed, but many were stripped of their windows and exteriors. Downtown is still recovering from the impact. Many tenants have moved out, rather than wait for repairs. At least two of the buildings’ owners have scrapped plans for repairs, and selling for as much money as they can get. The historically significant buildings remain intact, fortunately.
In August many of the buildings still have boarded-up windows and the Cash America building has not been knocked down or repaired, although only the girders remain. The damage has been so extensive that supplies for repairs are as much of a problem as getting the repairs done. 6 Fort Worth residents are wondering what the future holds for downtown. The Bass Brothers are responsible for much of the recent updates, but the damage to Fort Worth is in the millions of dollars; can the Bass Brothers pull Fort Worth’s balls out of the fire? Fort Worth residents certainly hope so!
For more great info, check this out:
The Hacker's Guide to Fort Worth
Fort Worth’s official web site
1A Richard Haas mural spanning three sides of the Jett Building. Depicts nineteenth-century cattle drives that ran through downtown Fort Worth2Driving cattle is hot, dusty work, and after a hot day of wrestling calves to the ground and removing their balls with a sharp knife, there’s nothing a cowboy likes better than a cold beer3For those of you with a geologic bent, Texas was once covered by swamp and ocean during the Cretaceous period. Fossils are common in Texas - just follow the limestone rock deposits.4The Tarantula Train is a vintage 1896 steam engine that makes daily excursions between nearby Grapevine and the Stockyards. The train itself is cool; the ride goes through several uninteresting suburbs.5Instead of being confined to a flat, square screen, the film is projected on a dome that surrounds the viewer.6Glass alone is at a premium, because of the size of the sheets.
